Red gurnard in the North East Atlantic, Demersal otter trawl Red gurnard in the North East Atlantic, Demersal otter trawl Content last updated 27th Jan 2016 Stock: Red gurnard in the North East Atlantic Management: EU Overview Red gurnard (Chelidonichthys cuculus) is a widespread demersal species on the Northeast Atlantic shelf, distributed from South Norway and north of the British Isles to Mauritania. The species is found in depths between 20 and 250m living on gravel or coarse sandy substrate. Higher occurrences of red gurnard with patchy distribution have been observed along the Western approaches from the Shetlands Islands to the Celtic Seas and the Channel. A continuous distribution of fish crossing the Channel and the area West of Brittany does not suggest a separation of the Divisions VIId from VIIe and VIIh. Therefore a split of the population between the Ecoregions does not seem appropriate. Further investigations are needed to progress on stocks boundaries such as morphometric studies, tagging and genetic population studies. Red gurnard feeds on a variety of small invertebrates, bottom dwelling fish and benthic shellfish and crustaceans. Length at first maturity has been reported at approximately 25cm. Spawning occurs between February and June. Currently, all red gurnards in the Northeast Atlantic are treated as a single stock. Considering their behaviour, future assessment and management should identify and treat separate spawning aggregations independently. Red gurnard is mainly taken as a bycatch in mixed demersal fisheries for flatfish and roundfish, as the market is limited a larger part of the gurnard catch is discarded. Gurnards have been landed as a mixed generic gurnard catch and therefore landings of red gurnard are uncertain. As well as miss‑reporting issues, some countries did not report their landings of gurnards and therefore the catches are incomplete for a number of years. Other than indirect management through fleets that target a mix of fisheries and the use of marine protected areas, there is no management of this stock. However, ICES advises on the ICES approach to data-limited stocks, implying that catches in 2013 should be reduced by 20% in relation to the average catch of the last three years. Because the data for catches of red gurnard are considered highly unreliable, ICES is not in a position to quantify the result. Stock Status less risk more risk Red gurnard in North East Atlantic has been scored as low risk. This is because the species has a low vulnerability score of 30/100 and the most recent assessment of the stock shows that the stock size has increased in most areas. Management less risk more risk The management of red gurnard in North East Atlantic has been scored a high risk. This is because there are no management The management of red gurnard in North East Atlantic has been scored a high risk. This is because there are no management controls although a data-limited stock assessment has been carried out. There are management measures in place to control effort in the fisheries and regulations are enforced and independently verified using several surveillance measures. Bycatch less risk more risk The bycatch risk of this fishery is scored as high risk. This is because otter trawls have the potential to take relatively high quantities of bycatch of non-target and vulnerable species (> 30% of catch weight), including demersal elasmobranchs and protected, endangered and threatened (e.g. sharks and rays) species in certain circumstances. However, the incoming EU landings obligation is intended to reduce discarding. Habitat less risk more risk The habitat risk of this fishery is scored as a moderate risk. This is because, although otter trawls are considered to have a potential to cause significant habitat damage, damage to vulnerable and sensitive marine habitats is likely to be minimised given that the footprint of the fishery is within core areas, typically historically fished ground. Spatial management to reduce potential interactions with vulnerable habitats are being developed, but there remains uncertainties about the location of some sensitive seabed habitats and therefore some risk of further impact. Outlook Current risk status Outlook Reason Stock Low Unknown The status of the stock is improving given that the stock size indicator has increased. Catches however are unknown and there is no direct management in place to control them. Management High Stable The management of the stock is likely to remain stable in the future. The EU Common Fisheries Policy is going through reform and there is some uncertainty on how this will impact fisheries management in this area. Bycatch High Improving Bycatch of non-target species in this fishery is relatively high with poor selectivity. However, with technical and spatial management measures continuously under development and the incoming EU landings obligation intended to reduce discarding of target species, the bycatch risk is likely to reduce in the future. Habitat High Improving Otter trawls disturb seabed habitats, but a range of Marine Protected Areas have been established and are under development to help minimise damage to vulnerable marine habitats. Stock Status Details less risk more risk Time-trends Fisheries independent catch data for red gurnard are collected in the Celtic sea, Bay of Biscay, North Sea and the Eastern English Channel Research Vessel trawl surveys; although the data are limited there is some indication of biomass trends. The EVHOE-WIBTS-Q4 survey, figure 1, has shown a slight increase in abundance since its beginning in the 1990s and the North Sea IBTS Survey shown in figure 2 also indicates an increase in abundance during the same period. However, the Eastern Channel survey index has widely fluctuated, with a weak decline, figure 3. Figure 1. Time-series of abundance index of red gurnard from EVHOE-Q4 series in Bay of Biscay and Celtic Sea (ICES Divisons VIIIa,b and VIIh,g,h) . Numbers per hour (left panel), proxy for biomass (middle panel), and proxy for adult biomass (right panel) (ICES 2014). Figure 2. Time-series of abundance index of red gurnard from IBTS-Q1 in the North Sea. Numbers per hour (left panel), proxy for biomass (middle panel), and proxy for adult biomass (right panel) (ICES 2014). Figure 3. Time-series of abundance index of red gurnard from CGFS-Q4 series in VIId. Numbers per hour (left panel), proxy for biomass (middle panel), and proxy for adult bio- mass (right panel) (ICES 2014). Stock structure and recruitment There are insufficient data to distinguish distinct populations of red gurnard and further investigations are needed to progress on stocks boundaries such as morphometric studies, tagging and genetic population studies. However, a compilation of datasets from bottom-trawl surveys has produced a distribution map (Figure 4) where the surveys suggest a continuous distribution of fish crossing the Channel and the area West of Brittany providing some evidence that there is no distinction of stocks between divisions VIId from VIIe and VIIh. Therefore, a split of the population between the North Sea and Celtic Sea does not appear to be appropriate. Recruitment patterns are unknown for this area as very little comprehensive data is available. Figure 4. Spatial distribution of red gurnard in different trawl surveys. (ICES 2014) Data gaps and research priorities For management purposes, information should be available on catches and landings. The quality of landings data has been poor for this species because in the past only landings of “gurnards” were reported which is still the case for some countries today. Further, this species is highly discarded and for the past years discard data are not available covering all fleets. This makes interpretations of the records of official landings difficult. Indices of red gurnard from UK (Scotland) and Irish surveys in the Celtic Seas Ecoregion should be made available. Extending the studied area by a survey in the Western English Channel (ICES Division VIIe) and collecting length and age data of red gurnard in the main area of production should help in better understanding the biology and dynamics of this species in the area. References ICES. 2014. Report of the Working Group on Assessment of New MoU Species (WGNEW), 24–28 March 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2014/ACOM:21. 162 pp. Management Details less risk more risk Stock harvesting strategy Red gurnard in the North East Atlantic is assessed using a data-limited approach to provide an indication of stock size. The stock assessment is based on a time-series of trends using bottom trawl survey data. Discarding of red gurnard is substantial due to its low value, however discard estimates are not fully quantified or included in the assessment due to the paucity of data. Red gurnard are mainly taken as bycatch in demersal trawl fisheries and are managed under the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) but not subject to EU TAC’s and quotas. Harvesting of red gurnard is controlled primarily through management of effort controls and technical measures imposed for the recovery of other stocks within a mixed fisheries context, however the likelihood of overexploitation remains high. Reductions in fishing effort associated with the long-term Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) management plan (Regulation (EC)1342/2008) and the sole long-term management plan in the western English Channel (Council Regulation 509/2007) and the sole and plaice long term management plan in the North Sea (Council Regulation (EC) No. 676/2007) and the control of effort in vessels over 15 m in western waters (Council Regulation 1954/2002; aims to cap effort at 2002 levels) may have influenced pouting catches and fishing mortality in some areas of the Celtic Seas. There is no minimum landing size for this species and there is no internationally agreed TAC.